


Under the Glow of the Crescent Moon

by Drosselmeyer, LadyoftheLemons (LadyOfTheLemons), thetroll



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28231365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drosselmeyer/pseuds/Drosselmeyer, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyOfTheLemons/pseuds/LadyoftheLemons, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetroll/pseuds/thetroll
Summary: A series of unrelated and quasi related one shots revolving around our favorite couple, Sesshomaru and Kagome, and all the shenanigans that ensue.This is an AO3 exclusive collection, so read and enjoy!
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/Sesshoumaru
Comments: 10
Kudos: 108





	1. Caving In

**Author's Note:**

> OK so the first chapter includes our set up; there are more fics to follow, but here's the gist. This is a collection of one shots we are all adding to. There are no rules and the points don't matter.
> 
> That is to say, there may be post-canon fics or canon divergence or AU fics here. We'll take a moment at the beginning to say what you're getting into with each fic. Not all fics will be explicit, but the rating is here for the fics that might be in the future.
> 
> However, there are some expectations:  
> 1\. Each fic will feature SessKag as the primary pairing; other pairings may apply  
> 2\. Each fic is a one-shot only unless the author specifically states there would be a second shot added to the series later  
> 3\. Each chapter will be its own fic  
> 4\. There is no update schedule--we are all subject to our muses, but your comments help feed them!
> 
> Each chapter will designate who wrote it. If you're interested in more of their work, please take a moment to check out their profile and explore! That's half the fun.
> 
> And, of course, if you're a SessKag author and you're interested in joining in, please message thetroll for details. 
> 
> Happy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First up: Caving in by thetroll  
> Post-canon
> 
> Kagome finds herself quite literally trapped with Sesshomaru, with nowhere to go.
> 
> Fortunately, it's nowhere near as bad as she fears. In fact...it's almost nice.

There was a strange feeling in the air that night.

Kagome was used to strange; the majority of her teenage years had been spent in the feudal era, as had her years since she'd returned to the past. She'd met, befriended, and battled yokai, fought against Naraku—who, Kagome would argue now, was the definition of strange—and his many, many minions, and had still managed to navigate the hell of public school.

Yes, Kagome was certainly very used to strange.

 _This_ , however, was a whole new level.

Kagome had sat in her hut beside InuYasha, who, fittingly, was complaining about the entire debacle as the sky glowed a bright green light that seemed to emanate from the west. Though the two had initially intended to wed upon her return, a messenger had come to their village to request InuYasha's help with a troublesome yokai several villages over several days after her arrival. When he'd returned a few days later—he'd refused to even _hear_ of her helping him when he could 'handle himself' just fine—they'd begun planning a wedding, only to be stopped by Rin's kidnapping by a local water dragon yokai. They'd gone off to rescue her, for Kagome wouldn't allow him to leave her behind _again_ and when they'd returned, Sesshomaru had just arrived looking for his ward and they'd been forced to explain the recent events. And when Rin had been successfully retrieved and all was once again well with the world, their wedding plans had been interrupted yet again, this time by angry bandits that had destroyed several buildings before they'd finally been chased off. One of the buildings had been Kagome's own hut, which had taken several weeks to completely rebuild.

One after another, something always seemed to come up whenever it was time to consider a wedding until Kagome had finally come to the conclusion that a wedding simply wasn't fated between herself and InuYasha. Wherever her red thread of fate led, it clearly wasn't him.

InuYasha hadn't been thrilled at the idea that he was losing her, but he didn't try to argue against it. In his usual gruff manner, he'd huffed to himself before telling her that he wasn't going to wait for her to change her mind. He'd left, grousing to himself, to leap into the trees in the forest near the well, and had been careful to stay away from her in the days since.

The worst part was that she still loved him, just as he loved her, but the girlish love she'd once held had already begun to fade in the months since she'd returned. As time wore on, she found herself growing further and further apart as her feelings morphed more towards a love between close friends.

That was right about when she started wandering around. At first, she'd walked on her own, though more often than not over the past few weeks, she was accompanied by Miroku, Sango, or Rin.

But as the days turned into weeks, she'd grown in confidence and had begun to wander on her own.

Which led to her current predicament.

Or rather... _their_ predicament.

"Who would have thought that yokai could have brought down an entire mountain on our heads," Kagome commented, striving for an air of levity as she got to her feet in the dark cave Sesshomaru had barely managed to find in time. She was still astonished that a snake yokai had managed to have that much power, yet not only had it drawn both of them into a fight, but it had managed to bring down a rock slide upon them in its failed efforts to get away. 

She wasn't sure if he'd intended for her to follow him or not, but it probably didn't matter, anyway.

She thought she heard Sesshomaru click his tongue.

"Um...You can find your way out of the cave, right?" she asked dubiously, turning to look at the caved in wall behind them. To herself, she muttered, "Can dogs even see in the dark?"

Or what she _thought_ was the caved in wall, at any rate. It was pitch black, so it wasn't like she could see.

"Seeing is overrated," Sesshomaru's voice boomed from just behind her. As she gasped, he continued, "It is by scent that this one will find his way out."

Kagome coughed, a little embarrassed that he'd heard her. "Right. Guess I'm following you, then."

She heard an odd little sardonic snort but decided to ignore it in favor of remaining in his good graces. Just because she'd saved Rin a time or two in the past didn't necessarily mean that he would automatically want to help her from the goodness of his own heart. 

"Then follow."

She heard footsteps and panicked, not able to ascertain where they were coming from. "Wait!" She heard the footsteps stop. "My hearing isn't as great as yours. I might get lost unless there's something I can hang onto."

He was silent for a moment and then said, "Very well."

A moment later, she felt something soft and fluffy be pressed into her hand and she automatically gripped onto it. _Fur? Did he just hand me his white fluffy boa?_ She remembered hanging onto it once before, inside Naraku, and somehow it was softer than she'd remembered.

"Thank you." She wrapped it loosely around her wrist a few times to help make sure it wouldn't just slide free. "So, I guess we walk now?"

"Hnn."

With that, he once again began walking, but with her grip on his fur, she was able to follow him without any real difficulty other than occasionally stubbing her toe on rocks or pebbles she couldn't quite see.

After they'd been walking for a few hours—she had no way of telling time in the dark, but she was pretty sure it had been awhile—the silence finally got to her. She _had_ to talk about something or she was going to go mad. 

"Sesshomaru?" she tried, hoping he'd be willing to indulge her.

The only sound that indicated he might have heard her was a momentary pause in his steps.

"How have you been? You know, since Naraku?" It was the first thought that came to mind but once it left her lips, she realized how idiotic it sounded.

There was a pause but before she could take the words back, he admitted, "Well enough."

"Okay." She rubbed her free palm on her miko hakama. "Um, what have you been doing?"

There was another pause before he said, "Traveling."

 _Heaven help me. This is like pulling teeth from a rock._ She grit her teeth and pressed on, determined to fill the silence. "Traveling where?"

This time, his silence was a little shorter. "Wherever this one's feet take him."

She took in a breath and then another but didn't manage to stop from blurting, "Dammit, Sesshomaru! I'm trying to have a conversation here."

To her astonishment, she heard a quiet chuckle. "So this one had gathered."

She gaped at him. Or thought she did in the dark, at any rate. "You answered that way on purpose," she accused.

"Perhaps," he said lowly. "Or perhaps you simply failed to hold onto my attention."

She pressed her lips together. "So what would _you_ like to talk about then?"

She was completely unprepared for the barrage of questions he unleashed. 

"Where are you from? What of your kin? What of your own powers? What are they capable of? I do not sense the jewel's presence, yet InuYasha's explanations were insufficient. What happened to it? You have been mated to him for some time, yet—"

She held up her free hand instinctively. "One question at a time, Sesshomaru—wait." Kagome stopped short as her cheeks began to heat. " _Mated_? InuYasha and I are not married, thank you very much. And we aren't going to be, either."

He was silent for a moment. "Rin stated you were to be wed."

"Well," she faltered, "we _were_ , but it didn't work out. I'm sorry if I embarrassed you that day," she added, remembering how she'd called him 'brother-in-law.' Of course, back then, she'd assumed they were going to be wed within a week, so it didn't seem so presumptuous, but looking back, it definitely felt that way now.

"You did not." His answer was short but he didn't sound upset.

"As for the rest, let me try and answer in the order you asked so I don't forget anything." She began ticking off the fingers on her free hand to keep herself on fact. "I'm from here, of course, but not from anywhere you've traveled to, before. My, ah, people, live in a remote area that's, um, hidden away so you wouldn't be able to access it. My family lives there. As for my powers, well, they're all my own now after the jewel's seal was broken, but I'm still learning all that I'm capable of, so I don't have a full answer yet. And the jewel is gone. I wished it away."

She thought that was everything, but he'd asked her so many questions in a row that it was hard to be sure.

Sesshomaru was silent as he mulled that information over for a few minutes.

"What if someone was to court you? How would they ask your family for permission?" he sounded curious for now.

Her flush came back with vengeance. "Um, they wouldn't be able to. I can't go back myself," she hedged, hoping that would satisfy him. "Besides, where I'm from, a man doesn't have to ask the woman's family to marry her. It's good if the families get along, of course, but the only permission he really needs is the woman's own."

"It is different," he said calmly, "with yokai. Inuyokai even more so."

Her own curiosity was aroused at that. "How so?" 

"We do not seek permission from anyone but the mate-to-be in question," he said after a moment, his voice almost absent—almost as if he was lost in thought. "But it is often the female who propositions the male rather than the other way around. It is she who determines who is worth her interest."

"Is that why you're single?" she blurted and only then did she realize how rude that was. "I mean, um, are you someone who would prefer to pursue rather than be pursued?"

_Way to go, Kagome. Now he'll probably leave you behind in the cave._

To her surprise, he chuckled. "And you, Kagome? Do you prefer to pursue...or _be_ pursued?"

She blushed even harder. "Um." She licked her dry lips, not sure what the right answer would be. How had the conversation gotten so far out of hand? "I asked you first, Sesshomaru," she finally said, hoping that would end the line of questioning.

To her relief, he was silent at that.

"There are many who would pursue me," he finally said, "but few that would truly be worth my own pursuit."

"So you prefer pursuing," she said and then her own eyes widened. _Why can't I just let the subject drop?_

Probably because _this_ side of Sesshomaru was one she hadn't seen before.

"And you prefer to be pursued," Sesshomaru said by way of answer.

She opened her mouth and then closed it, at a loss for words.

"And yet, you'd initially chose the hanyo, knowing you would be one required to pursue InuYasha. Curious." His voice seemed to rumble right through her. "Is this why the relationship failed?"

"U-um, how long until we're at an exit?" Kagome was desperate to change the subject; he was reading too much and she felt emotionally naked.

She heard him make an odd sound, not quite a huff. "Perhaps within the next half hour or so. It is difficult to pinpoint for sure, but I can detect traces of the scent of the air outside."

"That's, um, good." She smiled weakly. She'd wanted conversation, but this was a bit much. 

Perhaps the silence wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"I didn't ever picture being trapped in a cave with you," she said in a gambit to change the topic. 

"Yet it has proved enlightening," he answered, his voice still a low rumble that she decided simply wasn't fair.

Despite her best judgment, she had to ask. "How?"

He didn't hesitate to answer her. "I have learned much about you in terms of courtship, Kagome."

She swallowed. "Well, that's true."

 _Is he getting some sort of enjoyment in harping on this conversation?_ Her lips twisted to the side. _Or is it in my obvious discomfort?_

"Though I still as of yet am unaware if you would be open to another suit," he continued on with all the force of a bulldozer.

She felt like he'd tumbled her right over then. "What?" She winced at how loud that was as it echoed around the cave around them. "Whose?"

"Mine, of course," he said without preamble.

"Y-yours?" she echoed faintly, wondering why he sounded so matter of fact. Did he think she already knew of his intentions?

Well, she most assuredly did _not_ , but now she wondered what signs she'd missed that should have indicated his interest somewhere along the way. When _had_ he become interested, at any rate?

Now he _did_ sound surprised, "You did not know?"

She clutched his fur a little tighter in her hand. "Um, no," she confessed. 

"I would have thought InuYasha would have told you by now." He sounded a little bemused.

She choked back an odd laugh. "He's a little sulky at the moment, to be honest. I don't think he really _wanted_ to marry me, but it was expected, you know? Everyone thought we would and so when it didn't happen—well, I'm not really sure he expected it and it left him floundering. I'm not sure he knows exactly what to do from there. I think he'd simply assumed we'd marry and have kids and never thought beyond that."

Sesshomaru seemed to consider that. "He spoke to me, after you'd disappeared," he admitted to her astonishment. "He warned me you would not accept a proposal from me, if one was offered."

Forget feeling knocked over; she felt like her entire world had been smashed into smithereens. "Oh." She licked her dry lips. "Um, well, he never said anything to me. To be honest, I'm surprised he even noticed. He can be a bit unobservant."

He snorted at that. 

"And a little jealous." When Sesshomaru snorted again, she laughed a little. "More than a little, honestly, but he's been doing better about that, too. He's maturing, even if it's slower than the rest of us. Probably takes time for him to absorb anything through that thick skull of his," she added affectionately. She may not be in love with him, but she still loved InuYasha for all his faults.

After a moment, she pressed, "When did you become interested? In, um, a romantic sense, I mean."

"Would you have accepted a proposal?" he asked instead of answering her. 

She thought the question over. "Upon my return? Probably not; InuYasha and I still had to see if things would work out between us."

She couldn't hear his footsteps then. "And now?"

"Now?" she repeated just before walking straight into him with a loud gasp. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize you'd—"

"Would you accept a proposal now?" he pressed urgently, interrupting her before she could finish her thought.

She flushed again as she put up her hands to try and find her way to step back but once her hands touched the hard flesh of his arms encased in his sleeves, they froze. "Maybe?"

He froze beneath her fingers. "Maybe?" His voice was suddenly too husky to be safe for her heart.

"Well." She licked her lips again. "It's pretty sudden. I mean, most human men don't propose right away. They take the time to get to know a woman first, go on dates, that sort of thing. A courtship."

"But if we courted, you would agree to a proposal." That answer seemed to satisfy him.

"Sure, if it went well," she said, feeling a bit dazed about how fast things seemed to be progressing.

"So what you are saying then is you wish me to pursue you and prove myself worthy." That seemed to make sense to him and she felt some of the tension leave him. "But once this has been proved, you would accept."

"Well, not worthy per se, but yes." Kagome felt him shift as she spoke and suddenly, his own arms were around her.

"Very well. I agree to these terms," he rumbled, pulling her to him.

She blinked. "Terms? That wasn't quite what I—"

"I will allay any fears that remain, Kagome. You have done well," he said and the unexpected compliment caught her off guard. "You were proud and brave in my father's tomb. You defied Naraku countless times and it was you who was able to purify him. Your love for your companions is commendable, even though it occasionally comes at the expense of yourself."

Any protest she might have had at a relationship between them died at that. She gasped, taken in by the unexpected praise.

"You ask when I knew I wished to pursue a relationship," he continued and she swore, even though she couldn't see him, that he was smiling. "I do not know. It seemed to come out of nowhere and yet it must have been there as a desire for some time. I had hoped to present an offer to you when you returned—if you would have me. I had hoped you would."

"I did not want to visit the village for some time when Rin confided in me that you'd already chosen," he continued and there was an odd catch in his throat. "It gladdened my heart when you admitted you did not wed him."

"Sesshomaru, I—" He was saying words she'd never expected him to say; words that would have been thoroughly embarrassing out in the daylight and yet were somehow acceptable in the darkness of the cave where he couldn't see her reaction to them. 

"I understand," he continued, pulling her in a little closer, "that it is not love that you feel for me, not yet. I will not force anything upon you, Kagome. I simply hope that, in time, it is love that you will find for me."

She sniffed. His words were the sweetest words she'd ever heard and the fact that they came from him of all people had her heart melting. She wasn't in love, but she had the feeling it wouldn't be long if he kept talking to her like that.

"I am glad that you are giving me the chance," he rumbled softly towards her ear. 

She flushed, more than a little seduced at his words. "We should hurry out before we're trapped," she said, though she hated to ruin the moment.

"Hnn." He did not pull back. "And if I were to kiss you first?"

She had thought, with him wishing to pursue, that he would simply take a kiss from her, but was delightfully charmed that he'd asked. "Okay," she said a little breathlessly.

And then, he kissed her, soft and beguiling until she responded and then with all the vigor and domination she'd suspected he was capable of. And yet, though he dominated her tongue and her lips thoroughly, he constantly seemed to be gauging how far to push, how much to take.

He let her go finally and she drew in a deep breath. "Wow," she breathed out, touching her lips. "I didn't think..."

"Come." Instead of placing his fur in her hands, he wrapped his hand around her own. "We will continue this conversation at a later date, once we have left the cave and discuss all that it will entail between us."

"Okay." She threaded her fingers between us and heard a small inhale from him as she did so. Evidently, she'd surprised him. "But only because I really, really don't want to be trapped here."

He chuckled. "I would not allow that to happen. Not after what has been promised to come. Though this incident has proven to be most enlightening, it is not where I would like it to end."

 _I'm looking forward to it, too_ , Kagome thought to herself, a smile at her lips and certain there was one at his own. 

Though she wouldn't admit it aloud, she was also very much looking forward to another kiss, too like his first that had stolen her breath. 

_I have the feeling it will be a lot different, being with Sesshomaru._ She smiled again. _But I already like what I've seen so far._

Outside, some sense of normalcy would set in, so for now, she set her mind to enjoying the new intimacy between them both—an intimacy that, brought about the darkness, made her feel far closer to him than she otherwise would have—and trying not to think too much about his kiss lest he catch on.

If he kept kissing her like that, her brain would melt into a puddle and they'd never leave the cave.


	2. Burning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Everything is on fire.  
> Post-canon

Everything was on fire.

Kagome had no idea where the blaze had begun, but there wasn't time to consider the matter, either. She needed to escape, fast.

Her hut was made out of wood. _Entirely_ of wood.

Frankly, it was a miracle that it hadn't fallen apart around her.

She coughed hard as she rolled out of her futon, remembering her fire training from her days in school as she brought the blanket up to use to help protect her lungs. _Keep low, cover your face, and check with the back of your hand before you touch any doors._

 _Yeah, well, I have no doors to check_ , she thought to herself in wry amusement as her coughing grew worse. Her hut was far too small to bother with separate rooms or doors.

A separate room would have been nice though. She smiled wistfully as she began to crawl towards the doorway. A separate room if she didn't want to be disturbed, since everyone in the village seemed to think a mako's door was always open, whether it be for medicine or advice.

She looked up to check her progress.

 _Shit_ , she cursed to herself in English. 

The windows were already engulfed in fire and that fire was quickly racing to the doorway.

She didn't have much time.

She crawled faster even as she began coughing harder, barely able to breathe at all. Her lungs felt like they were burning along with the rest of the hut around her.

_Why did I put my futon so far away from the door? Stupid, stupid!_

She was about two feet from the door when the flames reached it and she began cursing herself in every language she knew.

There wasn't a chance in hell that she was going to make it through the door in time. If she had water, she could soak her blanket and race through, hoping for the best, but she didn't.

_Idiot. You defeated Naraku and how many other yokai just to die here of a stupid fire, all because I'm an idiot who wanted to have some privacy._

Tears leaked from her eyes as she struggled to breathe. It was getting hotter as she tried to reach the door anyway.

What else could she do?

And then, suddenly, she collapsed in exhaustion and from the smoke, and lost consciousness altogether.

She awoke to a fiery sensation in her lungs.

Every breath _hurt_.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she began coughing and wheezing as if her body could somehow expel every iota of fire it had taken in.

She could hardly see through her tears but she could vaguely make out silver in the dim moonlight.

"InuYasha?" she asked, surprised. She'd thought he'd gone with Miroku to slay yokai that morning and wasn't expecting him back for several days.

Had he noticed he fire and come back?

"InuYasha is not nearby," a familiar voice rumbled. _Sesshomaru._

She wasn't surprised to hear that; InuYasha had become rather independent since their relationship had slowly died out. There was still love between them, but it wasn't romantic.

Last she'd heard, he had several other romantic interests seeking him for a husband and it had become something of a village pastime to bet over who might win him over in the end.

"It is fortunate that I had noticed the flames when I was passing through," Sesshomaru continued calmly. "Otherwise you would have met your end this night."

She sighed, which only brought on more coughing.

Sesshomaru leaned in, studying her. "It seems your kind are more susceptible to even brief exposure to fire than I had assumed."

She had something to say about that, but her lungs were heaving and each breath felt like she was inhaling pure fire. She simply couldn't get any words out.

"Very well." Sesshomaru, to her astonishment, bent to lift her into his arms and her vision cleared enough for her to see the displeasure in his expression.

She wondered why he was so upset, but didn't have much time to ponder the matter before he took to the sky in a ball of light that sent her mind spiraling and, to her relief, she passed out again.

She awoke to an unfamiliar room, tucked into an unfamiliar futon.

 _Silk._ The fabric felt luxurious against her skin. _But where am I?_

"You are awake." 

She turned to see an unfamiliar yokai with bright blue eyes and blond hair staring at her. _Yokai_ , she knew immediately.

"Your lungs are healing," the yokai continued, ignoring the puzzled look Kagome gave him, "but you will likely feel the burning sensation for another few days. It is hard to know for sure." The yoke's lips thinned. "I am not overly familiar with your kind."

"So why did you treat me?" Kagome got out, noting that she definitely felt the burning sensation in her lungs that the yokai mentioned.

The yokai turned away from her, gathering up supplies as he said, "Because Sesshomaru-sama told me to."

_Sesshomaru?_

So he _had_ ensured she'd been treated after he'd rescued her from the fire. 

Belatedly, she turned to look about the room, half expecting to see Sesshomaru there.

"Where is he?" she asked, her lungs burning, when she couldn't find him.

The yokai shrugged. "I will report on your status to him momentarily. He may or may not choose to see you after that. It has, after all, been two days since your arrival."

 _Pompous ass_ , Kagome thought to herself with a hiss. He may have saved her life and she was grateful for it, but that didn't mean she had to like him.

The yokai left then and Kagome took a few moments to take stock of her own injuries. She had several wrapped bandages on her legs and arms and felt more on her back, letting her know she'd been worse off than she'd thought.

 _I must have been burned pretty badly if I didn't even notice the pain_ , she thought to herself glumly. 

"I hear that you have already spoken with Keiichi about your injuries," Sesshomaru said as he slid open the door and stepped into the room.

" _He_ did most of the speaking; _I_ just sat here," Kagome grumbled, pleased she was able to speak without as much pain as she'd been expecting. "His bedside manner could use some work. I had to assess my own injuries myself."

Sesshomaru's lips quirked as he approached her futon and, to her surprise, sat down beside her. "Keiichi is better noted for his skill than his tongue."

If it had been anyone else, she'd have said he was teasing her.

She couldn't resist a small smile of her own at the thought. After all, that was about as likely as Koga asking for InuYasha's hand in marriage.

She immediately wrinkled her nose at the thought of what marriage between the two would be like—assuming they didn't kill one another first.

"How are you feeling?" Sesshomaru probed, interrupting her train of thought.

She was grateful for the distraction. "My lungs still burn and I'm guessing I was burned worse than I thought, but other than that, I seem to be alright. More or less." She still occasionally coughed when she spoke, but it was more manageable than it had been.

He made a low sound of agreement.

"Why did you bring me here, though?" she asked, curious. "You could have taken me to another miko to heal." Kaede had passed away in the eight years since Kagome's return, but that didn't mean that another miko wouldn't have helped her.

"I do not know their skill." Sesshomaru lifted his chin. "I would not be so foolish as to entrust your life to someone I do not know."

She was surprised by that; in her time, people went to doctors all the time that they didn't know or barely knew. "That makes sense," she agreed half-heartedly, wondering what his interest in the matter was.

"InuYasha was not in the hut with you," Sesshomaru said, changing the topic so abruptly that she was completely off guard.

"No, he's off slaying yokai in a neighboring village," she blurted, coughing lightly as her lungs stung. "One of the women there keeps asking him to come slay yokai in the area."

It was one of the women Kagome and Sango were fairly certain were pursuing InuYasha, though she was still a little surprised that so many human women were now willing to accept InuYasha as a husband. 

"Besides, he doesn't always sleep with me," she continued and then flushed at the displeased expression on Sesshomaru's face. She felt compelled to explain, "Not um, in the physical sense, I mean. Well, he does physically sleep in the hut, but that's all he does! And besides, most of the time he stays with Rin and Kohaku or Sango and Miroku, so it's not like he's there all the time! Especially not with him often being out slaying yokai!"

 _Shut_ up _, Kagome!_

Sesshomaru's features evened out. "I had thought he would choose you," he murmured thoughtfully after a moment.

"I thought he would, too," she admitted, wanting to kick herself for being so exposed. And yet she couldn't seem to stop herself, either. "But that never really was the sort of love he felt for me and both of us wisened up and realized that it wasn't a good idea for him to be with me just because I thought I was in love with him. Besides, it turns out neither of us were really what the other wanted in a partner."

Sesshomaru was quiet for a moment. "And what do you want, Kagome?"

Her name sounded sinful on his lips.

She told herself the sudden shiver at the low timbre of his voice was because the room was cold. 

"What do I want?" She tapped her lip with her forefinger. "I want to be first for someone. I know it's a lot to expect to be someone's first love, but I don't want to be in the shadow of someone else's prior love, either. I want someone who isn't going to put me last and I want someone who wants a family, too."

InuYasha still felt like he was too young for kids himself so if their relationship hadn't already have been doomed, it ultimately would have been once she'd learned that.

"And what if you found someone who you were already his first love?" Sesshomaru sounded curious, which made _her_ curious. "What proof would you require to assent to a mating?"

_I hope with all I have that he doesn't mean Koga._

"I don't want a husband to prove himself," she said and noted Sesshomaru's immediate surprise. "Love shouldn't be about proving anything. If I hear the words and know he means it, that would be enough for me."

She surprised them both by suddenly coughing so hard that she wheezed and she nearly choked from lack of air. 

Sesshomaru leaned over her then, gently helping her into a more comfortable position to breathe as he reached for a salve that Keiichi must have left behind and gently spread it on the exposed skin of her chest, as her lapels had shifted with her coughing spell.

The salve had an immediate cooling effect and it already felt a little easier to breathe.

She caught his wrist. "Why?"

He didn't ask her to elaborate. "Because I," he paused for a moment, as if searching for the right words, " _care_ for you, Kagome."

"I'm human," she said, trying not to gape.

His lips quirked. "I am aware." 

"You can't possibly mean it the way I—"

He set aside the salve. "I have loved you from the moment you first defied me in my father's grave. Though," he added, his lips quirking in a half smirk, half grin, "I admit it took me longer to realize it."

"You tried to _kill_ me, Sesshomaru!" she hissed, taken aback.

"As I recall, you also tried to shoot me with one of your arrows," he retorted unrepentantly. "Does that not balance out?"

She glowered at him. "You were trying to kill my friends!"

"You were interfering in a family dispute of which you knew little of," Sesshomaru said, that odd smile of his growing. "And yet, despite my best attempts, I could not be rid of you then. Nor could I rid myself of you here." And he tapped his chest so she could not mistake his meaning.

"Well, you have a funny way of showing it," she groused, settling on her irritation because she wasn't really sure _how_ to feel then.

She certainly didn't like how pleased she was to hear that he cared for her. It wasn't right.

He was the wrong brother— _wasn't_ he?

Sesshomaru shrugged. "You were involved with InuYasha. It would have been dishonorable to interfere with his suit."

"Dishonor—" She bit off the word. "You tried to kill InuYasha several times, as I recall, Sesshomaru!"

"In fair combat." At her glare, he added with a smirk, "More or less."

She coughed before she could get another retort but she didn't miss the gentleness in his gaze as he brushed the hair from her face and reached for a wet cloth to wipe some of the beading sweat from her brow.

Evidently the good yokai doctor had left more supplies behind than he'd taken.

Still, it was odd to have Sesshomaru of all people play nurse for her.

"There was never hope for another after I first saw you," Sesshomaru said gently as her coughing subsided. "Deadly and fierce, yet loving and kind, you were all I had never known I wanted until I realized that I wanted you."

Kagome felt herself go a little mushy at his words, though she could hardly believe she was entertaining the idea of being with him. "You like me because I'm _deadly_?"

"I love you because you're deadly," he corrected, moving to press a tiny kiss to her jaw. "If you protect our own children as you have protected your friends, I have no doubt no harm would ever befall them. Only a fool would take you on in combat and hope to win."

No one had ever really recognized her abilities before and she felt herself melt a bit further. "It's not fair," she complained as he pulled away. "This isn't the least bit romantic, Sesshomaru."

There was a serious expression on his face, belied by the teasing glint in his eyes. "I will work on romancing you," he promised, "if that is all that's preventing you from accepting."

She opened her mouth but had no words to speak.

"I have loved no other, desired no other," he said, giving her jaw another soft little kiss, "and I want children. Do I not satisfy your requirements?"

"I—" Kagome stopped herself. "You...won't change your mind, right?"

He raised a brow. "I would hardly be propositioning you in my bed otherwise," he said with an indignant huff. "No other woman has ever been allowed in here."

 _To hell with it_ , she thought. She liked him and she felt comfortable with the idea that she could grow to love him, if her feelings now were anything to go on.

She tugged his face down and kissed him, chuckling a little at his surprise.

And then he kissed her back but just when he went to deepen the kiss, she coughed again.

"Sorry," she said, feeling guilty.

"Later," he promised her, tucking her back into bed. "For now, rest. We will talk more later, Kagome."

"Or we won't talk." She grinned with a slight flush as he raised raised a brow.

He smirked. "Perhaps not. Be careful of making promises you do not intend to keep, Kagome, or I will hold you to them."

She blushed brighter at the smolder he gave her but didn't retract her promise. _Later_ , she thought to herself, letting him fuss over her. _Later, we'll see just how deep this heat between us goes._


End file.
